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El Baile de la Iguana, Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

Ding Ding Ding, we have a winner! Baile De La Iguana in Manuel Antonio is officially our favourite place we’ve stayed so far!

We actually had a really hard time decided where to stay in Manuel Antonio. We knew we wanted to be close to the National Park, but it seemed like everywhere we looked had either really bad reviews, or was way above our price range.

The view from our room. Epic!

We ended up opting for Baile De La Iguana (yes, that means dancing with the Iguana!), which is located 3km away from the park entrance. From the entrance, this “aparthotel” is pretty unassuming. It isn’t until you enter the property, and walk up the steep steps that you realize the hotel is located on the side of a hill, and has a view that will take your breath away. The property has a pool that looks out onto the bay, and there are tropical fruit trees all around. We have a starfruit tree right outside our room!

The pool, right outside our door.

The hostel offers both private rooms, and hostel rooms. They have a communal living space at the bottom of the property (where the hostel rooms are) that has free WiFi, and kitchen.

We booked a private room with ensuite, but got WAY more than we expected. We had a

Our apartment!

full on apartment, near the top of the property, right next to pool, with huge windows that look right out over the bay. We had full cable, a fridge, kitchen, stove, oven….wait sorry, my little backpackers head was about to explode for a second! It was a quality of life we hadn’t seen for quite a while.

Baille de la Iguana is run by David, whose goal is to truly make your experience to Manuel Antonio the best ever. He has a vast knowledge of the area, and can recommend all sorts of things to make your stay truly memorable.

The stairs, and this is the just the first level!

Be prepared for stairs when you visit. Since the hostel is located on the edge of a hill, daily hikes up the stairs have become a ritual for us. Come to El Baile de la Iguana for the view, and stay for the tight buns!

If you are on a budget, and are looking for a place to stay that has all the amneties, a little character, and a great view, I highly recommend Baille de la Iguana!